David Callahan, Kootenai County’s director of Community Development, asked the board to consider directing staff to draft a mining-code amendment addressing risks to the Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer.

Callahan told commissioners that staff had identified examples in an adjoining county where open mining reportedly penetrated a subsurface layer that allowed groundwater to seep to the surface and create what became lakefront home sites. "That, in my view, is extraordinarily worrisome for the aquifer's water quality," Callahan said, and he told the board the county’s current regulations would not prevent such outcomes. He asked the board for permission to draft a concept, take it to the Planning Commission, and return it to the board for review and public process.

Callahan said staff would follow the usual ordinance-amendment path: staff draft a concept, Planning Commission review, and then board consideration with public hearings. Suzanne (identified as representing the Oxford Protection District) was present and expected to provide examples at a future meeting.

No motion or vote on a code amendment was taken; the board signaled informal approval for staff to pursue drafting potential amendments and present options for later formal consideration.